For Nigerian heavyweight contender Kingsley Ibeh, the thought of facing fellow countryman Anthony Joshua is not a far-fetched idea.

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn recently said Joshua may return as early as December against a top-20-type contender, and separately, Nigeria is an option to host a Joshua fight.

"The Black Lion" Ibeh (16-2-1, 14 KOs) believes he's the perfect man for the job to test the former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), a British-born boxer with Nigerian heritage.

"I like AJ, he's been my idol. [But] I have mean intentions. For the sport, I would love to give him the work and challenge that he's looking for," Ibeh told Sky Sports. "I would definitely stop him, no questions about that. It's going to come down to how soon – or how quickly it goes."

Joshua is looking to get his career back on track since suffering a devastating fifth-round knockout loss against Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

The 6-foot-4, 31-year-old Ibeh meanwhile, has been on the rise in recent years ever since transitioning from giving professional football a run for boxing.

Ibeh was born in Enugu, Nigeria but raised in Kaduna, and is a cousin of Ike Ibeabuchi. Ibeh moved to the United States at 16, and now lives in Arizona. He's currently signed with Toro Promotions, a Los Angeles-based promotion run by the Torosyan family.

Ibeh turned pro in 2019 and by the following year, in his seventh contest, he was pushing Guido Vianello to a majority draw. The impressive outcome from the still-green Ibeh led him to get a fight against Jared Anderson his next time out in 2021, but it proved to be too much too soon, and Ibeh suffered a sixth-round knockout loss.

However, Ibeh has strung together 11 consecutive wins ever since – 10 by knockout. The most recent stoppage came against faded former title challenger Gerald Washington in El Salvador.

"I'm just excited to see what the future holds. I really haven't even shown what we've been working on," said Ibeh.

"We need the right platform and right opponent to make a statement with, and there'd be no better one than AJ. That would definitely be a dream come true, would be amazing."